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Forum:40-42: Dreams Past, Firebird, The Gods' Love
The group went among the Moksa Therhavada for a few weeks in the hopes that their nameless god of earth might grant them some visions of things to come, and Yahtuh saw a young man on a beach that he refused to strike, Lin saw a man be killed by a snake that then spoke in his voice, and Artyom saw a tree spring forth from his chest become occupied by warring eagles and crows. On return to Tzen City, they learned that Hughes had been arrested following some incident of decorum that had taken place with the Rani, the wife of the vanished Rajah or King of the nation. On going to retrieve him and apprise the Rani of their quest, they were informed by the woman herself that the man Lin was looking for, White Feather Luo, was apparently partially responsible for crimes against the nation up to and including the suspected disappearance of the Rajah. Lin deftly negotiated a deal with the Rani and was able to avoid prison, as well as secure the release of Hughes and get access to palace records concerning the Seven Sainted Beasts, as well as get a document from the Grand Vizier, now a senile old man. Further investigation revealed that there was a creature of some evil power currently in the palace dungeon, and on record it had been there for twenty-five years, but it also seemed capable of coming and going as it pleased, and according to the Vizier it was communicating with the Rani. The group was directed to the Nataraja Gaowan, where the local religious leaders of the Nataraja were keeping a secure journal supposedly written by General Jayendra, one of the Rajah's closest aides and friends. In doing so, they encountered Valentine, Sofia, and Andrea a second time, and apprised the three of them of their adventure. To test whether or not the Nataraja would be willing to provide them with a powerful magic item to bless their journey, the three of them (and one of the monks) fought the party. Valentine seemed especially capable of dealing damage and spell-casting, but eventually stopped fighting upon satisfaction with the party's performance. They received a reward of the Nataraja's Brand, a magic item that protects the holder from fire and other ill effects, and spoke to the abbot about Jayendra, who was apparently a pious man looking after the Rajah's young son. However, the fate of the Rajah and Jayendra also left the son's whereabouts unknown, and the group would have to return south in search of some information about the crusaders who had gone there some years past. Additionally, Valentine gave the group cause to consider why they were even adventuring together in the first place, and, since the notion that the gods had willed it to be so was profoundly unsatisfying, he said that perhaps everyone could think of it as just another part of their love, which carries with it protections and perils alike... The rewards for the last session are as follows: *10,000 EXP for adventures up to this point, including premonitions from gods, fights with super-powerful brigands, and bailing out Hughes again. *Nataraja's Brand: a +3 Cloak of Resistance that grants Fire immunity and a once-daily casting of Firebrand at CL15.